


In a Different Time and Place

by Neverever



Category: Avengers Assemble (Cartoon), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Conspiracy, Forbidden Love, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-11
Updated: 2019-09-11
Packaged: 2020-10-14 18:21:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20605244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Neverever/pseuds/Neverever
Summary: While Doom rules the earth, scientist Tony plots rebellion. He risks everything he and his fellow conspirators are planning by falling for the mysterious Captain. Tony knows it could end badly but he believes it won't.





	In a Different Time and Place

**Author's Note:**

  * For [marumo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/marumo/gifts).

> Written for Marumo as her winning auction prize in the Marvel Trumps Hate 2018 auction.
> 
> The story was inspired by the episode "Planet Doom" from Avengers Assemble. Knowing the episode is not necessary for reading the story. The story is a canon divergence from the episode since Steve spent the episode as a very decorative ice cube in the Doom's castle. The framing device is the same but told from Tony's perspective instead of Thor's.
> 
> I hope that the story matches your expectations, Maru -- it's been fabulous to write for you and I appreciate everything you've done for the Avengers Assemble fandom.
> 
> And thanks to the beta, Arms_Plutonic, who was a very big help, especially with the cheer-reading.

“The Captain is back,” Bruce said.

Stationed at his lab’s computer lab, Tony looked quizzically at the Scientist Supreme in his yellow containment suit. Bruce didn’t visit his lab often, preferring that Tony make the long trek to his operations a couple of floors above. Something to do with the acrid smell of gunpowder that lingered in the air or the lack of windows. Also, that Doom preferred his aides and pet scientists have as little contact as possible with each other.

“Guess I’ll need to pull out the suit,” Tony replied. “For the inevitable formal dinner. Doom likes to throw those when The Captain is in town.”

“Haven’t heard from Vic yet.” Bruce sat down on the stool next to Tony and put an elbow on the table top. 

“Besides the orders to make a containment field for a magical alien artifact? In two weeks, no excuses, on pain of death?”

Bruce snorted and Tony took a quick look around in case any of the guards had followed Bruce. Doom was very unpredictable, even if Tony and Bruce were for the moment on the “very well-behaved” scientist list. Tony had long ago found all the bugs and hidden cameras Doom installed in the lab, and had left them in place to avoid questions. He had too much on his plate to be delayed by Doom’s spy bureaucracy.

Bruce tipped his head back and forth as best he could in his containment suit. “He’s going to be holed up with The Captain for the rest of the day. Gives us an opportunity.”

Tony nodded. “Not now,” he whispered back. He clapped his gauntlet back on and tugged his long white lab coat back into place, ready to get back to work.

Bruce rolled his eyes. “Then when? The Thunderer will be coming in two weeks.”

“You know.”

“Bah.” Bruce shoved his stool away from the table. “At least The Captain will be a distraction for a short time.”

“You know, you can call him Steve. He likes that.”

“And when did you become The Captain’s best buddy?”

“I -- I just know that he prefers Steve.”

If they hadn’t needed him so desperately, Natasha would have kicked Bruce out of the Super Secret Spy Club a long time ago. Bruce wasn’t even trying to hide his anger and contempt, the exact attitudes that Doom was quick to pick up on. Tony looked down regretfully at his notes on the alien artifact containment bubble. He’d have to share his notes with Bruce to keep him quiet.

“Here -- this is what I’ve done so far for the containment bubble.”

Bruce wriggled his nose to adjust his glasses and pushed his helmet into place. “Hmmm, you made a mistake in that calculation there --” He pointed at the notes.

Tony bit his tongue hard. The things he had to do to keep The Plan secret.

~~~~~

In a shocking turn of events, Doom summoned them to his grand office the next day. Doom had a number of different offices -- one for photo ops, one for intimidation, one for public relations, and so on. This particular office was the working office where Doom issued his orders. Tony had been summoned to this office twice in his life and certainly never with the others along with him.

Tony arrived a few minutes early and was ushered in to sit in front of Doom’s massive and elaborately carved desk and towering chair, gifts from the citizens of his home country, Latveria, set in front of large windows framed with Doom-green curtains. The desk carvings told the story of Doom’s rise from the king of a small European country to his triumphant reign of Emperor of Earth. Tony could find a few quibbles with the details of the story.

Natasha and Bruce took their seats. They sat uncomfortably in the folding chairs set up specifically for this meeting, having a chair was considered a sign of favor from the Emperor. Nat picked invisible lint off her uniform and held her golden mask in her lap. Better not to talk since there were plenty of cameras set up to record every possible word and movement. They waited in the stifling air of the low-lit high-ceilinged room, any sound eaten up by the thick Doom-green carpet and dark wainscotting.

The mysterious Captain swept in, his golden presence eating up all the space possible, clad in his formal uniform topped off with a purple cape with ermine trim. Which meant that Doom had likely spent the morning reviewing The Captain’s troops. The Captain was rarely in New York or North America these days, ever since Doom freed the World War II hero from the ice. He commanded all of Emperor Doom’s special ops forces in other parts of the world, returning only rarely on Doom’s orders. 

He sat down next to Tony, the folding chair squeaking under his weight. “Emperor Doom will join us shortly,” The Captain said.

“You’re going to break that chair,” Tony said to him.

A slight grin tugged on his lips. “I think I can handle the fall.”

“What about the embarrassment? Doom could put this up on DoomTube.”

“I would not humiliate my general. That is not Doom’s way,” Doom announced. 

While Tony and the others scrambled to stand up, The Captain stood quickly and fluidly. Maybe Tony would have appreciated The Captain’s athleticism more, if Tony wasn’t vaguely jealous about his ease of movement. Still, when Tony let his defenses down, he found him breathtaking in his grace and confidence. 

It had been a few months since Tony had last seen The Captain at a state dinner. Tony had been caught off guard by The Captain’s sudden smile when Tony joked about the chicken. He’d even asked that Tony call him Steve. 

They weren’t friends. They weren’t anything to each other at all. They never could be. All of Doom’s servants lived in a state of unease and constant threat and the ever-present knowledge that any day could be their last on earth, or, worse, in Doom’s court. The Captain had risked a lot to show a tiny spark of personality to Tony. 

The memory of that dinner still warmed Tony’s heart and teased him with the potential of more.

“Tomorrow there will be a parade and a state dinner in honor of The Captain and his recent victories in our name. I congratulate The Captain on nearly eliminating the remaining pockets of HYDRA resistance in Europe. The Empire should be happy with such courageous and efficient effort.”

Doom swept his cape back and sat down at the desk.

“We have our greatest challenge coming -- an enemy of our state and rule, The Thunderer, will soon be returning to attempt to overthrow all that I, your emperor, have built. I have given you your assignments and await your results.”

“Doctor Stark and I are close to finishing the containment field you requested,” Bruce said.

“A static space-time bubble, in fact. We plan to field test it after the festivities,” Tony added. In actuality, they were nowhere close to having a working model of any kind of containment field or static bubble for a mythical mystical item. But Doom didn’t need to know pesky details.

“Excellent. And you, Ms. Romanoff?”

“I have been training the city security forces as well as expanding our espionage efforts. We will be ready for him.” Nat, whose field name was Black Bride, commanded Doom’s local doombot forces used to surveil and manage the local populace.

“Captain, we may need your expertise in this matter.”

Steve nodded at Doom. “I am at your disposal.” 

“I cannot emphasize enough to you all how serious this threat is to the health, safety and happiness of our Empire. If this meeting does not import the necessity of preparation ….”

Natasha, Bruce and Tony replied as one, “We will be ready.”

“Failure will not be tolerated.” With a wave of his hand, Doom dismissed them. “You, Captain, stay -- we must talk about your next campaign.”

Tony, Bruce and Natasha waited until they were far, far away from Doom’s office before any of them spoke. Natasha pulled them into a small corner hidden away from any passers-by. “We have to get rid of The Captain.”

Bruce gave her a skeptical look. “The Captain? I don’t think he’s any threat to our plan.”

“He’s a lot smarter and observant than you think,” Natasha warned. “There’s a reason Doom keeps him busy and away from court.”

“He won’t get in our way,” Tony said. “He might even help.”

“You don’t know that. This is our one chance --”

“Say it’s a hunch.”

“He’s your problem then, Dr. Hunch. Keep The Captain out of our way,” Natasha ordered. “No one, I mean no one, will stop us or else. No matter how pretty you find them.”

~~~~~

Tony thanked Emperor Doom appropriately for the honor of a coveted seat in the Emperor’s Grandstand for the parade. Not a gift without strings -- he’d also gotten the message that Doom was watching him especially closely. 

City residents had been given a holiday with the expectation that they would attend the parade. Though anyone with eyes could see that the crowd was noticeably thinner and less enthused compared to previous parades. Doom wouldn’t miss that. Someone would pay for the lack of appropriate public appreciation from Doom’s subjects.

In her neatly pressed uniform, with her ever-present mask attached to her belt, Natasha arrived and took her reserved seat next to Tony. “Bruce is twitchy,” she muttered.

“He’s always impatient,” Tony explained. 

“I’m going to have to talk him off the ledge at the rate he’s going, assuming that Doom doesn’t squash him first.”

“When is Doom arriving?”

“After he orders security to round up more city residents for the parade.” She sighed. “T-Day is nearly here and we can’t stumble now. I had hoped that the celebrations would distract everyone --”

They jumped up as Doom swept in with all the grandeur afforded to the Emperor of Earth. Once Doom declared the start of the parade, Tony settled in for the usual production of marching soldiers, local trade organizations and marching bands. Steve’s troops were among the first marchers. The leading convertible did not contain the humble Captain, but instead a number of recently honored soldiers wearing their Doom-granted medals. The Captain’s convertible came next. Tony gave a sidelong glance at Doom, who was difficult to read behind the armored mask, but a slight twitch of his fingers indicated displeasure of a sort. The Captain apparently had a way of getting under Doom’s skin.

Tony suppressed a smile. He’d learned to enjoy the scarce moments when Doom was displeased. If their plan went off as they hoped, Doom would have many instances of displeasure.

~~~~~

After the parade, Tony had a few hours to work in his lab before the state dinner. Bruce had made a small prototype containment system from Tony’s notes. Now Tony had to test it -- a new toy he could play with. He had his Doom-imposed deadlines but he wasn’t going to turn in shoddy work.

He barely had time to get dressed in the requisite white tie attire and make it to his clandestine meeting with Bruce and Natasha. He rushed through his shower and the rest of his toilet. They had to steal what time they could for their clandestine meetings. One or more of them could easily be missed at any given time. 

He fastened his cufflinks in the elevator to the conservatory and hydroponic gardens on the topmost floor of Doom’s castle where he usually met his fellow conspirators. Except tonight, he found The Captain there, leaning against a railing and looking out at the night sky through the arching windows over the gardens. He was in his formal army uniform again, his purple cloak trimmed in ermine folded on a nearby bench. Delicious and dangerous.

“Captain,” Tony said.

“Dr. Stark,” The Captain replied. The lights of the greenhouse shone on his blond hair, golden like an angel.

“Surprised to find you here.” Tony sucked in a breath. Ordinarily he would be excited to have a handsome and agreeable man all to himself. Yet he needed to meet with Nat and Bruce. Time was getting short and he might not have another opportunity for a couple of days, possibly more.

_But The Captain’s smile._

“I had a few minutes before dinner.”

“Finding New York interesting these days, Captain?” Tony stood next to him, ready with the charm offensive. 

“It’s different. Please, call me Steve.”

“Is that okay? Doom prefers formality.”

“You haven’t struck me as a man who likes that.”

“If you insist. Call me Tony.”

“Tony then.” His name sounded like a prayer coming from Steve’s mouth.

“Finding New York interesting these days, Steve?”

Steve chuckled. “It’s been a few months since I was here last. I only get to see the barracks and the Court, not the city itself. Unless it’s through windows. This trip, I’d like to see Central Park, and maybe even my old neighborhood from before the war.”

Tony blurted out, “Doom won’t let you.” He stiffened immediately. As friendly as Steve appeared, he might not take his comment well. Tony could be reported to Doom, and lose his life for saying something vaguely critical. One never knew.

Instead, Steve gave Tony a considering look. “No, he wouldn’t.” He paused, as if thinking hard. “Your friends are over there.” He nodded towards Natasha and Bruce lingering by the double doors leading to the elevator. 

“We have Doom business,” Tony explained.

“Do you? Is that what you call it these days?” Steve asked.

Tony was caught up short. He’d already underestimated The Captain, whose innocent smile hid a cunning mind. “Yes,” he replied in a neutral tone. 

Steve swung his cape around his shoulders. “I hope to see you at dinner. Those affairs can get … tedious. Without good company.”

“Doom has hired only the best entertainment and chefs for dinner. It will be a joy and a delight to attend,” Tony replied by rote. He schooled his features as best he could. He could have walked into a trap.

“Of course.”

As soon as Steve was on the elevator being whisked away to the Castle’s lower floors, Natasha snapped at Tony. “What was that?”

“I got here and he was already here looking at the skyline. What was I supposed to do, push him over the railing?”

Bruce muttered, “It wouldn’t hurt. Get him out of the way.”

Natasha shot Bruce an exasperated look. “Never mind. I heard from Clint,” she told them.

“Any news?” Tony asked. They talked in whispers.

“The usual. No signs of the Thunderer. No signs of anything except the usual oppression. He and Sam have been protecting the food distribution channels. Doom hasn’t discovered them, but Clint doesn’t think they’ll be able to fly under the radar for much longer, even if I tamper with the investigation and reports.”

“Yet,” Bruce pointed out. “He hasn’t discovered them yet.”

Natasha gritted her teeth. “We all know what’s at risk.”

A loud chime rang in the hour. “Dinner calls,” Tony said grimly.

~~~~~

“Dr. Stark, may I have the honor?” The Captain asked, with a slight bow. The band had switched to playing waltzes after dinner. 

Tony was too distracted by Steve’s dazzling smile and the uniform that highlighted all his best assets to hear him at first. “What?”

“May I have this dance, Dr. Stark?”

Now Tony took Steve’s hand. “Of course.”

They took a turn across the floor, Tony gently guiding the surprisingly awkward Steve into proper form. The man had all the elements to be an excellent dancer, and Tony was glad he didn’t step on his toes, but Steve was all blushy and too hesitant to take the lead. 

“Have you found out how long you’ll get to stay in New York?” Tony opened, not quite knowing what the safe subjects were.

“Two weeks, that’s what Doom said,” Steve replied, then gave a wistful smile. “But I’m not counting on it.”

They spun around the floor through the crowd like they were the only people in the entire world, and Tony had butterflies in his stomach. He imagined the picture they made with Steve in his formal dress uniform complete with cape and Tony in his tux with tails. Steve’s golden hair shone and his eyes were bluer than a cloudless sky. And he was devastatingly charming with his unexpected gawkiness. With that and Steve’s intriguing intelligence, Tony was close to falling for the man.

“Just like that,” Tony affirmed when Steve hit the waltz steps perfectly.

“I have a good teacher.”

“I don’t think I qualify after merely giving you a couple lines of advice,” Tony replied.

The corner of Steve’s mouth quirked up. “Perhaps you’d prefer tour guide instead.”

“Tour guide?” 

“I’m heading out tomorrow to see the new New York. I was hoping you could come along.” 

They were getting dangerously close to Doom seated at the top of the room, away from the band but still visible to all. Tony shifted his steps ever so slightly and they danced off in a different direction, back into the middle of the crowd and away from spying ears. 

“Can you do that?” Tony asked. “I thought that Doom had you on a short leash.”

“He doesn’t own me.”

That was the exact sort of statement that could end Tony’s award-winning run as one of Doom’s chief scientists and bring down the curtain on The Tony Stark Show. “Hmmm.”

A brief look of something like panic crossed Steve’s face. “Maybe I misunderstood --”

Steve looking like a puppy left out in the rain was not a good look. Tony said, “No -- no, it’s good. I’m free tomorrow afternoon.”

Assuming that Doom didn’t eviscerate Tony for not finishing that containment bubble. But if everything went the way he, Natasha and Bruce had planned, who knew when or if he’d ever have this chance again to spend a little time with Steve. Assuming that Steve was alive when the dust settled. Tony was making too many assumptions for his continued good health.

Steve immediately perked up. “Good. I have some business in the morning. Where should I meet you?”

“Hmmm.” Tony sorted through the very short list of safe places. “The garden?”

Steve smiled that terrible smile of his, the one that had the power of making Tony a little weak in the knees. “Good idea.”

“Doctor Stark, Captain,” Doom said behind Tony, who nearly jumped out of his skin. “Please, Doctor Stark, you’ve monopolized the good captain for far too long this evening. Captain, I have some people for you to meet over here.”

~~~~~

Natasha called an emergency meeting first thing the next morning. Tony, coffee in hand, reported in at the machine room Nat had commandeered. She’d already cleared the room of all possible spying devices. That was life in Doom’s castle -- wake up, get coffee, remove listening device, work, dinner, destroy a hidden camera, go to bed. Rinse, repeat.

Agitated as usual, Bruce slammed his hand into his yellow gloved fist. “He hasn’t sent The Captain back to Europe.”

“Maybe it’s because of the Thunderer,” Nat explained, again. “Doom plans to stop him from doing whatever he thinks he’s going to do. The Captain is a renowned fighter.”

“Could have nothing to do with us at all,” Tony agreed. “The Captain fights HYDRA in Europe -- he could be waiting for redeployment.”

“Argggggghhhhh,” Bruce groaned as he tipped his head back and stared at the ceiling. “We can’t assume anything.”

“The Captain being here and the stepped-up surveillance are making it more difficult for us,” Natasha admitted. She rubbed her chin. “We might need a distraction.”

“What about the Defenders?” Tony asked.

“Clint’s having a hard time holding off the others from attacking. They attack, and Doom wipes them out.”

“Right,” Bruce snapped. “We’re nearly done with the containment field, as long as Tony stops flirting with The Captain and thinking with the little Stark.”

“Calm down, Bruce,” Natasha said as she put a hand on his arm. “We have less than ten days to go before the Thunderer returns. We’ve come too far to lose focus now.”

Bruce jabbed his finger at Tony’s chest. “Don’t mess this up, Stark.”

~~~~~

Tony hoped that Steve believed that his choice of restaurant was an effortless affair. Upon arrival, they had been whisked immediately to their table beside the windows overlooking what had been the seaport area of New York before Doom’s arrival. The restaurant staff hovered off to the side, aware of Steve and Tony’s status at court. Tony grinned at Steve being impressed by the restaurant and the staff.

Steve had to have seen what Doom had done to New York during the ride from the castle. Tony couldn’t read his face as Steve drank in the less-than-prosperous streets and dour crowds outside the car. Much like Tony was doing now at their table. Steve turned his body slightly to look out the window at the ocean, his fingers tracing figures on his water glass.

It had not been effortless to make a reservation. Tony thought he could get a reservation at any restaurant in the city, but found that even he was restricted to a choice of three approved places. This steakhouse, as the current darling of the new upper class in the city, was the best option. And no doubt that Doom had made arrangements for spies and a security officer or two. For his and Steve’s protection of course.

“Is this okay?” Steve asked, worry stamped all over his face. “I wouldn’t want --”

Tony shook his head and put a smile on. “No, work is always on my mind.”

“Mine too,” Steve confessed.

“Let me distract you -- what would you like to order?”

They had no end of things to talk about from the city to the museums Steve had visited in Europe. The bread was warm and filling, the steak excellent, and the chocolate lava cakes dry. “I shouldn’t have ordered dessert,” Steve said.

“We have plenty of time to order another round,” Tony suggested.

“Is that because once we leave the restaurant one of us will get a pressing call to return to court, preventing us from touring the city?”

“I didn’t say that.” Steve could say all day long that he wasn’t on Doom’s leash, but freedom from Doom was an illusion.

“You don’t have to -- I want to try the cheesecake. You?”

“Coffee. Maybe another round of dessert.”

“It’s not a bad place to spend the afternoon,” Steve agreed.

Good thing that Steve seemed to have a hollow leg and was up for ordering food so that they didn’t have to go back to the castle any time soon. Tony didn’t mind at all, and he was completely and utterly entranced by Steve and his stories of old New York and new Europe.

“I hope we can do this again,” Steve said after they paid the bill.

“Aren’t you scheduled to return to your base in a few days?”

Steve took a long sip of his water. “There’s not much more to do -- we’ve nearly wiped HYDRA off the map. There are rumors that the last of Zemo’s forces are taking refuge somewhere in China.”

“China is a huge country. That could take years.”

Looking out at the water with a faraway expression on his face, Steve didn’t say anything for a few minutes. Finally he said, “Doom won’t allow it. He couldn’t keep tabs on me that far away.” He sighed and reached for his water glass. “I’ve sent for my staff and top soldiers to join me here for a summit with Doom about our future plans.”

Tony was all ears. Was this really Steve’s idea or were Steve’s battle-hardened troops part of Doom’s insurance plan against the Thunderer? “Hmm, sounds like you’re staying a lot longer than you thought.”

“Or not. I’ve had this discussion with Doom before.” Steve toyed with his napkin. “I don’t think I’ve been fighting HYDRA for these last few months. Doom sends us intelligence reports and we attack. This last fight, it looked like he used us to put down local opposition. Not a single HYDRA or AIM agent among the prisoners.” His broad shoulders slumped. “It’s not what I signed up for. We aren’t supposed to be fighting civilians.”

“It’s Doom, though. You know what that means.”

Steve gave him a sharp, considering look. “Your meaning is not that clear. How do you handle it?”

Tony’s phone buzzed with several texts from Bruce, rescuing him from the hard questions. “I have to get back to the lab -- Bruce needs me.”

“We should do this again. Soon. In case I am sent to China.”

“Let’s plan on it.”

~~~~~

After the restaurant visit, Doom kept Steve busy. Tony didn’t see him apart from regretful smiles and brief moments in hallways. Just enough of a charming glimpse to keep Tony intrigued, not enough for Tony to get a good bead on Steve’s allegiances. 

“I have no idea why you’re trusting him, of all people,” Natasha hissed at Tony. 

“I know in my bones that we can trust Steve.”

“If you’re wrong about him -- The Captain could turn on us all. And that’s it, it’s over, and there’s nothing we’ll be able to do to save Earth from Doom. You know that, Tony, or you wouldn’t have started this whole business.”

Tony leaned back against the wall. He had been the one to discover that Doom feared the return of the Thunderer, a legend who had the power to overthrow Doom. Clint let it drop in a visit to his lab that he and Natasha might be interested in doing something with that fact. The plan snowballed from there, and they all put their lives on the line. Especially Clint, who had been picked to cross Doom and escape the castle to be their man on the outside. He and his hand-picked team were the first line of defense for finding the Thunderer before Doom’s forces ever could.

“Clint’s out there with his team, waiting for the sign. We’re so close, and you’re ready to throw all that away on a hunch.”

“In my defense, my hunches are what got us here.”

Natasha sighed and hung her head. “The Captain has been as thick as thieves with Doom since he got here.”

“Shows that Doom doesn’t trust him.”

“Or that The Captain is supporting everything that Doom’s doing. He’s propped up Doom’s regime for years.”

The look on Steve’s face when he talked about fighting Not-Hydra had been haunting. Steve did not support Doom. “He was told he was fighting HYDRA. Just like we were.”

Natasha stepped back, blinking hard a couple of times. She ran a hand through her hair and shook her head. “It’s not the same situation at all.”

~~~~~

Tony ran across Steve unexpectedly on his way to his lab. “Captain,” he said with a brisk nod. 

“Dr. Stark.”

“Surprised to see you here --” Tony quickly glanced around the wide corridor, making note of known cameras and the doombot posted near one of the exits.

“I’m on my way to meet with Ms. Romanoff to discuss security,” Steve explained. He reached out to touch a button on Tony’s white lab coat. “Looks like a uniform.” Steve’s smile said something else about the uniform on Tony and Tony was flattered.

“The coat?” Tony smoothed down the front. Luckily he was wearing the clean one with no stains at all. “We all have to wear appropriate lab clothes -- oh, yeah. Uniform.” Thinking about it more, the way the coat buttoned up on the left side was very similar to the way Doom’s soldiers dressed.

“Your lab must be amazing.”

“If you have the time -- I could show you --”

A bell rang deep and low and people scurried around them. Steve shook his head ruefully. “I have my meeting.”

“The invitation is good any time, Captain.”

~~~~~

Two days later, Tony was surprised to find a neatly folded letter on his worktable, addressed to Dr. Stark. An invitation from Steve for dinner and perhaps a turn around the rooftop garden. On the back, Steve had written codes and directions to a cafeteria inside the castle. Tony puzzled over the existence of this cafeteria he had never heard of.

More puzzling was that the cafeteria turned out to be located in a wing of the castle Tony had never visited before. Doom’s tastes in castle-building went hard for the labyrinthine, dark, and gothic, so Tony shouldn’t have been surprised. But still, Natasha and Clint had mapped out each and every twist and turn and secret room on every floor. Surely they would have noticed a completely new building wing.

He needed one code to enter the wing and the other code to enter the cafeteria. Steve was already seated in a corner of the intimate cafe. Chin in hand, he was absorbed in reading a book, a cup of coffee at his elbow. Tony could see a stunning view of the New York skyline in the window behind Steve.

“This isn’t a regular everyday cafeteria, is it?” he asked as he pulled out a seat.

Steve closed his book and smiled at him. “Officer’s mess.”

“An officer’s mess in a wing of the castle I never knew about before your invitation.”

“Like it was created yesterday?” 

Tony studied Steve’s face and couldn’t tell if he was joking or being serious. “Yes.”

“Life must be like that all the time around Doom.”

“I can’t recall.”

“That might be the point.”

“Right.” Tony looked at the menu Steve slid over to him. “A real restaurant menu, huh.”

“Order anything. I’m good for it.”

Dinner was lovely and sweet, although Tony had noticed that they were alone in the mess except for the serving robot. “You plan for everything,” he teased Steve.

“A man with little time has to.” He reached for Tony’s hand. “I have three days before Doom sends me back to Europe and onto China. It’d be nice to have someone thinking of me when I’m gone.”

“In that outfit? You could have an army of someones.” Tony waved in the direction of Steve’s sapphire blue shirt and exquisitely tailored slate pants.

“But I want only one.” Steve leaned close to Tony and daringly pressed a kiss to his cheek.

They talked for a couple of hours more, watching as the sun slowly set, until Steve asked, “Show me your lab.”

“Naw, you don’t want to see that --”

“You must love it if you spend all your time there -- and I want to see what you do.”

“What I do is build machines and tools to stop HYDRA and AIM. You’ve fought AIM, right?”

“On occasion.”

“They’re my biggest problem, always attacking the city. I’ll give you the fifty cent tour.”

Surprisingly, Steve showed sincere interest in Tony’s lab, inventions, even the silly little robots Tony played with. He smiled and laughed and frowned at all the right spots in Tony’s stories.

Steve’s smart questions and attention to his work were intoxicating. Tony could find pretty any day of the week, but intelligence like that was a rare thing. In any other circumstance, Steve would be a friend and a keeper.

“What’s this? One of your gauntlets?” Steve asked with awe as he picked up one of Tony’s prototype gauntlets.

“Oh, nothing much. The gauntlets are a tool I wear around the lab.” Tony fitted a gauntlet to his arm and demonstrated how he used it. “I’ve, um, thought about making a whole suit of armor like this gauntlet. Maybe even use it to fly -- I’ve always wanted to fly.”

“That would be amazing, Tony,” Steve replied. 

“Yeah, well, maybe not a good idea here. A project for a different time and place.”

They kissed in the lab and got handsy in the elevator to the roof garden, until Tony put his hand in a place that made Steve gasp and blush. Leaning into Steve, pressed against that chiseled chest with Steve’s hand on his ass, full of bad decisions and weakness for Steve, Tony said in a low, rough voice, “Your place or mine?”

“Yours,” Steve replied. “I have no privacy.”

“Advantage of living here -- you get the pick of the apartments.”

Like Tony had any time to show off his apartment to Steve when they got there. As soon as they stepped through the door, Steve pushed Tony against the wall, rucking up Tony’s shirt as his hands grasped Tony’s waist. Tony plucked at Steve’s clothes, desperate to get close and feel warm skin. “Take this off,” he ordered, his fingers pulling ot the buttons on Steve’s shirt. 

“You first,” Steve said, as he slipped his hand under Tony’s shirt and eased it off his shoulders.

“You’re not making this any easier.” Steve kissed and nipped at Tony’s lips as they undid buttons and zippers and belts. Tony felt dizzy from the blood racing through his veins, from Steve’s warm and insistent hands and lips, from the hard lines of Steve’s body as Steve crowded him against the wall.

“You have no idea how gorgeous you are,” Tony gasped as a bare-chested Steve, pants open and loose around his waist, sucked kisses into Tony’s neck.

“You’re only saying that to get me into bed.”

“We’re halfway there.” 

“Can’t back out now. Where to next?”

“The other room.” Grinning, he grasped Steve’s hand and pulled him towards his bedroom.

They fell, laughing, onto Tony’s huge bed. Steve rolled over and pinned Tony’s arms above his head so he could kiss Tony’s neck and down his chest. Tony was nearly breathless from Steve’s touch.

“Stop -- we still have too many clothes on,” Tony said into Steve’s ear.

He pushed Steve’s hands away to push Steve’s pants down over that perfect ass of his. “Here, let me,” Steve said as he reached for Tony’s pants to strip him naked. Tony twisted in place, letting Steve do the work of pulling off both their pants and the remaining shreds of clothing, all while persistently kissing Steve.

Steve sat up on his knees and gave Tony a long, all-consuming look. Tony rolled his hips, reveling in Steve’s interest. “Like what you see?”

Rubbing his thumb back and forth on Tony’s hipbone, Steve smiled. “Best view I’ve seen in days.”

“Days? Who or what is my competition?”

Steve leaned down to capture Tony’s lips with his, deepening the kiss and tugging Tony’s body close and tight. “Nothing worth mentioning.”

“Ha,” Tony gasped at last

Steve pulled back a bit from Tony. “It’s been a while,” he confessed, suddenly serious.

“Same here,” Tony said. “I’m not promising great work here -- so don’t --”

Steve shut him up with a hard kiss that curled Tony’s toes and made all his blood rush to his groin. “You’re perfect the way you are.” Reaching down, Steve took himself and Tony in one of those wonderfully large hands. 

Tony groaned as his body shuddered with each of Steve’s long strokes. “Not gonna last, Steve -- not at that pace.”

Shifting away from Tony, Steve reached for the nightstand. Tony caught on to what Steve was aiming for. “Top drawer.”

Steve shifted Tony just where he wanted him. “Ready? Is this okay?” Steve asked, as he caressed Tony’s hip.

“You can see the interest, Steve, at full mast.”

“Stop if --”

Tony tugged Steve down for a kiss. “I get it. Now get moving.”

“Pushy—”

“And you love it.”

Steve lowered his hand between Tony’s thighs. “What will it take for you to forget how to talk?” 

“You’ll have to work for it.”

He let Steve manhandle him into position. He was already impatient to feel all of him. Steve was undeniably gorgeous from head to toe and came more than well-equipped for the job at hand. He distracted Tony with nibbling kisses along his chest and stomach as he stretched Tony open. “Ready?”

Tony arched up into Steve. “Desperate. Don’t make me wait.”

“Can’t deny you anything, Tony.” Steve’s weight pushed Tony further into the mattress, his hands holding Tony’s hands in place as his hips grinded against Tony. Electric with want and desperate with desire, Tony widened his thighs, feeling Steve’s considerable hard length against him.

Steve finally pushed in and began to move with a slow and deliberate rhythm, heated skin caressing Tony’s from shoulder to shin. The bedframe shook and rattled under Steve’s increasingly urgent thrusts. Tony clawed at him, wanting, needing, craving more. All he could feel and all he wanted to feel was Steve, moving in him, surrounding him. His nerve endings were alight with fire, his voice rough from moaning Steve’s name, his hands scrambling for a hold on the sheets and Steve.

Tony gasped loudly when he came, hard and sudden, as Steve moved relentlessly. Unable to escape the pleasure racing through his body, boneless and slick with sweat, Tony took what Steve gave him. Steve pushed in once, then twice more, and shouted his release before he collapsed against Tony. 

Shaking, Steve cupped the back of Tony’s head with his hand, whispering how perfect Tony was. 

As Tony slowly came to his senses, Steve somehow managed to untangle himself from Tony and brought a towel from the bathroom to clean them up. And for the first time in a long time, Tony drifted off into a deep, peaceful sleep in Steve’s embrace.

Morning came too soon.

Tony lay awake, listening to Steve’s soft, even breathing. He had meetings and scheming and planning to do, with the fate of the future lay in the balance. And all he wanted to do was lay in bed with Steve. 

“Do you have breakfast stuff or do we need to order in?” Steve asked, yawning and stretching.

“I have coffee.”

Steve rolled onto his side, blue eyes sparkling at Tony, the sheets sliding off to reveal an expanse of glowing skin. “We’ll figure it out.”

Tony kissed Steve’s brow and brushed his fingers through Steve’s tousled blond hair.. 

“I’m glad we found each other,” Steve said. He hooked his arm around Tony’s waist to draw him closer.

“I was there -- when you were defrosted,” Tony said. 

“Defrosted? Is that what we’re calling it?” Steve teased, lifting an eyebrow.

“We could call it the Ice Thing instead, if you like that better. Anyway, I was there.”

“I remember you,” Steve said slowly. “And Doom.”

“Hmmm. He does seem to show up at all of the key moments, doesn’t he?”

“Key moments?”

Tony propped himself against the headboard. “Like when I was nearly destroyed by my own weapons. Doom rescued me, offered me a job, something better than what I’d been doing. I was grateful that I didn’t die. Bruce wasn’t so lucky -- he got nailed by gamma radiation, but Doom stopped him from getting it worse. He’s got a life at least, as long as he wears the containment suit -- that’s what Doom said to him.”

“Hmmm,” Steve replied. “Is it better? What you’re doing now than before?”

Tony wasn’t quite a fool yet, even though every part of him wanted to trust Steve completely. “Well, working for Doom has a lot of perks,” Tony replied.

“What did he tell you? To get you to work for him?”

Tony gave a small huff. “He wanted me to join him in fighting HYDRA -- said SHIELD had been infiltrated and couldn’t be trusted. He showed me email and pictures. After that, it felt like I could make a difference working for Doom.”

“Until it didn’t.”

“Yeah,” Tony agreed. “Until it didn’t.”

Steve lowered his voice. “I don’t know what you and your friends are up to -- whatever it is, it’s very dangerous to cross Doom.” Steve ran his hand gently down Tony’s cheek while giving him a somber look.

“We’re not doing anything. They’re not my friends.”

“Uh huh.”

Tony fussed with the sheet covering his legs. “You said you’re leaving soon?”

“In three days. Doom was very insistent that I leave then and not sooner. He doesn’t have any work for me or my soldiers in the meantime.” Steve settled back into the pillows. “But he won’t let me out of his sight -- I only had this chance to see you because he went to tour the city defenses with Ms. Romanoff. I begged off, told him I needed to prepare for my trip.”

“Hmmm.” Doom was keeping Steve around for insurance against the Thunderer.

“Tony -- it’s only been a short time, but I hope that this can be something between us.”

“You flatter me --”

Pounding at the door interrupted them. “Captain? The Emperor wishes to see you!” shouted a guard.

Steve muttered darkly under his breath as he scrambled to put his clothes on. 

“How did Doom know you were here?”

“He warned me about you, told me to stay away.” Steve gave Tony a quick, hard kiss. “But I couldn’t and I wouldn’t -- I’ll be in touch.”

Then Steve was gone.

~~~~~

T-Day in two days.

Tony couldn’t stop thinking of Steve. One dance, a couple of dinner dates and a romp in bed -- and Steve had gotten under Tony’s skin. 

He knew better, he chided himself as he buttoned up his formal white lab coat and carefully fastened his gauntlet. He turned back and forth in front of the mirror, knowing that Steve would find him attractive in this get-up. He squared his shoulders, ready for another day of perfecting the static space-time bubble for the magic mcguffin that Doom was fretting over.

Tony arrived in his lab to find an angrily pacing Bruce. 

“Does it work?” Bruce snapped.

“Yeah. I fixed the capacitor issue last night and it works like a treat.”

Bruce sat down heavily on a stool at a worktable, the yellow containment suit crinkling loudly with the movement. “Natasha has to report into Doom this morning. No news there.”

Tony gripped Bruce’s sleeve. “We have to tell Steve what we’re planning. We could use him -- we might need him.”

Bruce grumbled, “Not my wheelhouse. That’s Nat’s area. For the record, it’s a bad idea.”

“Steve can be trusted, I know it. If we bring him in --”

“Damn it, Tony. No.” Bruce slammed the table with his fist. “Don’t bring it up with Natasha -- she’s ready to cut you loose if you don’t drop Steve.”

“Bruce -- give me a --”

“Emperor Doom arrives,” a guard announced.

Tony spun around, hoping Doom hadn’t heard any of their conversation.

“Dr. Stark, Dr. Banner, show me your containment system,” Doom ordered. 

Tony bit his tongue before he quipped that it must be informal armor day for Doom. He’d learned the hard way that Doom did not appreciate his jokes. Steve stood behind Doom, also dressed in a casual uniform. A spontaneous visit, then, and Doom had likely scooped Steve up along the way.

“Dr. Stark?” Bruce prompted. “The bubble?”

“Right. Over here.” Tony walked over to the worktable with the silver box and aiming device. 

“The Captain appeared skeptical of your efforts when I explained them. Perhaps a demonstration is in order.”

“We’re fresh out of magical hammers to try this on --”

Doom turned to Steve. “As I said, Dr. Stark is one of the smartest men in my empire, though his humor leaves much to be desired.”

Tony caught the smile hidden in Steve’s eyes. He had at least one fan in the room. 

“Your majesty, at the risk of your anger, I agree that Dr. Stark is one of the smartest men, if not the smartest. I didn’t mean skepticism when you brought up the containment bubble -- I was more doubtful of a powerful magical object than of Dr. Stark’s ability,” Steve said.

Doom scoffed. “You speak too highly of Dr. Stark in front of his betters, Captain. It would be best if neither of you doubted magic as much as you do.”

Bruce retrieved the practice hammer Doom had provided them. He handed it to Tony and stepped back.

“Back to the containment bubble -- the operation is fairly simple.” Tony lashed the hammer to the frame on the far wall of the lab. He walked back to the table to pick up the aiming device. “Aim this at the hammer.” Tony pushed a button. A bubble enveloped the hammer. “There, one captured magic hammer.”

“How far away can one be from the hammer to operate it?” Doom asked. He examined the bubble closely, scanning it with his armor glove.

“Up to eight feet.”

“You need a much longer distance -- our enemy will already have hit you with his hammer at a mere eight feet.”

Tony rubbed his chin. He did like the challenge of solving puzzles. “Just need to make a few adjustments here --”

“If The Captain ceased distracting you, you would have more time.”

Tony met a rattled Steve’s eyes. Steve turned to Doom and inclined his head. “I have duties elsewhere.”

“Indeed you do. But before you go, give me an evaluation of this trap. Dr. Stark can be made to work harder if he has failed in his task.”

~~~~~

T-Day.

“Contact’s been made,” Natasha texted. “Clint made the first sighting.”

It was now or never. Tony pulled himself together. Their first line of their defense, Clint was supposed to contact the Thunderer first, then keep him hidden until Natasha could reach them.

Tony paced back and forth in his lab. All he could do was wait for Natasha’s news. 

“Doom knows,” she informed him.

Plan B then. Tony gave the static space-time bubble control to Natasha, for deployment when they went to detain the Thunderer. They avoided talking to each other as Tony handed the trigger over.

“I will go to stop the threat with Ms. Romanoff. Captain -- you stay here in reserve in the castle with your soldiers. Drs. Stark and Banner, you have your orders,” Doom announced over comms.

Two hours later, Tony contacted Doom per his orders to let him know that he and Bruce had captured the hammer. Tony had honestly been shocked that the machine worked. But there it was, a Nordic-style battle hammer floated in the red air of the static space-time bubble. 

Natasha patched him through to Doom who had the Thunderer in custody. “We’ve got the hammer and if someone could bring the Thunderer here --”

“Indeed, Dr. Stark and Dr. Banner,” Doom replied. “I will escort him personally to Dr. Stark’s lab.”

Doom, Natasha and the doombots brought their prisoner to Tony. The Thunderer appeared exactly as promised, tall, beefy, blond, like a Viking. But he appeared bewildered, frantically looking back and forth between Bruce and Tony. “Are you not -- why would you be working for Doom, friend Tony?”

“Victor saved my life,” Tony recited. He told his story to a disbelieving Thunderer. The Thunderer turned to Bruce for his story. Then the doombots dragged the Thunderer away, as he shouted and strained against their grasp. Doom followed.

Lingering behind, Natasha reported quietly, “Doom captured Clint and his team. Doom plans to execute them all in the morning.”

“Been awhile since we had a public execution,” Bruce said. 

“Plan B is in effect. You both have to stay in your labs -- ready to free the hammer.”

Tony rubbed his chin. “He knows us, or some version of us.”

“His name is Thor. I couldn’t find out more -- doombots took Clint away before I could ask.” She paused a moment. “Thor called me Black Widow and Clint Hawkeye. Like we were different people.”

“Feels wrong.”

“Hmmpphhhh. I’m not going to get any sleep tonight. Doom likes his executions early and the castle is going to be an armed camp.”

“Really, how is that any different from most days?” Tony asked. 

Bruce ignored him. He was studying the hammer inside the containment bubble. “This hammer -- must be alien tech.”

“Yeah,” Tony agreed. “Let’s see if we can find anything about it.”

~~~~~

Bruce and Tony hunkered down in Tony’s lab waiting for the broadcast of the execution. Tony fiddled with his gauntlet. He had kept his best tech for himself, holding back when he re-engineered Doom’s armor. The palm repulsor was good for maybe an hour of blasting. He hadn’t tested the new version enough to be certain.

“Tony,” Bruce said. “I should tell you --”

“What?” Tony replied, distracted. He had a second gauntlet half built on a workbench. If he worked fast. 

“About Thor -- why he knows us.”

“We can figure that out later, if we survive Plan B.”

“She has Plan C and Plan D, you know,” Bruce pointed out.

Tony laughed. “Of course Nat would.”

The large screen on the wall of the lab switched to the broadcast of the execution. “It begins,” Bruce muttered. Tony sidled closer to the containment bubble, watching for the signal from Natasha.

Doom made his usual pronouncement about keeping the planet safe, needing to demonstrate what happens to the enemies of Doom, and so on. Doombots marched out the prisoners -- Thor, Clint and the two guys from Clint’s team. Tony caught sight of Steve and his soldiers off to the side. 

Bruce shot Tony a murderous look. “We should have planned for that contingency. So much for your faith in him.”

“You don’t know --!”

Bruce smacked Tony’s arm and snapped, “Shut up. Pay attention.”

They’d missed Thor’s last words and the executioner stepped up. “That’s not the usual guy,” Tony observed.

Then all hell broke loose when the executioner whipped around and aimed his cannon at the crowd of doombots. “Punishment served!” he shouted as he jumped into the pile of wrecked doombots.

Natasha was frantically picking the locks on Clint’s handcuff. Doom called out to Tony, “Dr. Stark --”

Aware he was being broadcast to New York, Tony reached for the containment bubble release, saying, “Good luck, Doom.” He threw the switch and the bubble collapsed. The hammer took off like a shot, smashing through the lab wall.

Bruce said, “Come on. We’ve got to get to the meeting spot.” He pushed Tony towards the door.

Chaos reigned in the castle hallways, with fighting between the doombots and riotously rebelling civilians. Tony blasted his share of doombots with the gauntlet repulsor as Bruce and he battled their way to the Hall of the Great Throne, their designated meeting place.

Tony ran through the hall doors, thrown back on broken hinges. A throng of civilians were dismantling the spiky throne, pulling down Doom statues, and breaking everything they could get their hands on. He saw no sign of Natasha.

He looked at Bruce. “We’re not safe here.”

“No, we’re definitely not,” Bruce said. 

Steve’s elite troops marched into the hall brandishing guns and riot shields and took up position around the perimeter of the hall. Wearing his field uniform and a strange harness on his shoulders, Steve strode into the hall. “Dr. Stark and Dr. Banner, I advise you to seek shelter. The castle is not secure or safe.”

Panicked civilians were now edging towards doors to flee the soldiers or ducking behind the wreckage . “Steve, you wouldn’t,” Tony pled. He put himself between Steve and the civilians trapped around the fallen throne. 

“Dr. Stark -- you’d be better off --”

Tony’s stomach sunk when he saw Doom in full armor step into the hall. “Ah, Captain, you have not failed me. Clean up this mess, including Dr. Stark and Dr. Banner, who turned out to be ungrateful for all that I have done for them.”

Steve moved towards Doom and reached for the famous starred shield he wore on his back. Tony had not seen the shield since Steve woke up from the ice. His heart beat fast and hard. 

“So much for trusting Doom’s lapdog,” Bruce muttered at Tony’s elbow. “We should have left when he told us to -- we’d have at least lived for another day.”

Tony trusted Steve. Steve wouldn’t turn on them. Steve wouldn’t kill innocent civilians. He knew that like he knew that the sun would rise in the morning.

Bruce hissed, “Now he’s gonna kill everyone in this room, just like Doom wants.”

Steve wanted them to be safe. He had urged them to leave.

“Captain, we do not have all day. There are other problems.”

Steve raised his shield at the same time the soldiers raised their guns. Shaking civilians huddled together, waiting to be gunned down. Tony’s heart nearly failed him. He knew those machine guns -- he’d specially designed them for rapid accurate fire. Great for destroying HYDRA, that’s what he promised. 

Damn, not for this. 

“Fire!” Steve commanded.

Tony almost passed out, imaging he could feel the bullets tearing through his lab coat. Instead the soldiers turned and unleashed a hail of fire at Doom.

“Keep it up!” Steve ordered as the hail of bullets pounded into Doom’s armor shields.

Suddenly Thor crashed through a wall swinging his hammer right and left, with Natasha, Clint and his team following closely behind.

“Bah, I will stop this my own way,” Doom said. He shot a few final repulsor blasts into the room as he ran out the door.

“Stop him -- he’s going to the time machine room,” Bruce and Steve both shouted.

“Time machine room?” Tony asked as he raced behind them.

“That room he never wanted us to know about,” Bruce explained as they ran.

“If he reaches the southwest tower, he’ll change all of this,” Steve finished.

Steve threw his shield, and Thor his hammer. Tony shot repulsor blasts. All three took Doom down.

“Whew,” Tony breathed as Steve checked to confirm that Doom was completely knocked out.

“Yeah,” Steve said, meeting Tony’s eyes with a smile. “We did it.”

~~~~~

The problem of Doom remained. After they locked Doom up in his own castle’s dungeon, the team destroyed the existing time machine. That still left the time machine in the past that Doom had used. Thor was the only one who could go back and destroy it. 

“Doom must have triggered the machine when you left for Asgard,” Tony speculated.

“That’s why Thor needs to go back,” Bruce said.

“What will happen to us?” one of Clint’s teammates asked. Sam, if Tony remembered right.

Thor laid a large hand on Sam’s shoulder. “You shall remain as you always were -- heroes -- regardless of what the future holds.”

Tony shot a worried glance at a stony-faced Steve. He whispered to him, “There’s no guarantee here. We could lose everything.”

Steve looked at Tony thoughtfully. “Whatever happens, I believe that we’ll still have each other. When I met you at that dinner long ago, I felt I’d found my missing piece, that I had known you forever. Doom changed our pasts and our futures to conquer the world -- and even after the world was recreated for Doom, we made our way to each other. We will always find each other.”

“That sounds tragically romantic,” Tony said. “For all you know, you could be the guy who sells me my hardware and that’s all we were to each other.”

Steve arched an eyebrow at him. 

“What? A good hardware man is hard to find, worth their weight in gold.”

Tony did a double-take when Thor rolled his eyes at them and said, “In every universe, everywhere.”

Bruce brought them back to the task at hand. “Thor, you have to go.” The others nodded their heads in agreement. “I’ll send you the coordinates. Remember -- you must stop Doom from learning that his machine works.”

“Aye, we shall prevent Doom from ever using that infernal machine.” Thor swung his hammer fast in circles. “I will see you all later.”

Tony grasped Steve’s hand as the breeze rose. “You’re right -- no matter what happens, we’ll always have this,” he said. 

~~~~~

“And then I short-circuited the first time machine,” Thor explained over Thai takeout. “Doom will not try that again.”

“Questions, we have questions,” Bruce stated. He’d switched from Hulk to Banner to understand what exactly had happened to Thor. “Now, we’ve always known that the multiverse existed -- but to travel between universes, that’s new.” He adjusted his eyeglasses and turned to a blank page in his notebook.

“Would this new universe still exist?” Sam pondered.

Tony followed Steve to the kitchen. “They’ll keep Thor up all night with their questions,” he said.

Steve tossed his armful of takeout boxes in the trash bin. “And you won’t?”

“Thor left some details out of his story.” Tony walked over to the refrigerator. “I’ve pieced together the background details.” 

Steve wiped his hands on a kitchen towel. “Like what?”

“Oh -- I ran a lab for Doom and you had a special ops team. We might have had a torrid secret affair or something like that.”

“Really,” Steve said.

“I said once that you and sarcasm don’t mix. Anyway, is it so unbelievable that we would have some sort of thing?”

Tony glanced over at Steve looking down into the sink, clearly pondering. “Maybe not _that_ unbelievable.” He hadn't realized he’d been holding his breath until Steve smiled at him.__

_ _“Great.” He grabbed the 18-pack of craft lager that miraculously survived the last games night. “Want to talk about it over beer? I know a great place -- warm breeze, fantastic view of the city at night.” He tossed a bottle to Steve._ _

_ _“Yeah, sounds good.” Steve twisted the cap off with his bare hand. “Lead the way.”_ _

_ _“So -- I’m thinking Avengejet deck.”_ _

_ _He bumped his shoulder against Steve’s as they reached the door, drinking in the fond look on Steve’s face. He caught his breath as Steve took his hand. _ _

_ _“I also figured out what Thor left out of his story. I was hoping you’d want to talk about it.”_ _

_ _Tony wished with all his might that he was not blushing beet red at that exact moment. “Sure, we’ve got all night.”_ _

_ _“Yes, we do. We have all the time in the world,” Steve agreed, and squeezed Tony’s hand._ _


End file.
